We’re back in action, folks! Sorry, these are going to get a little out of order now, but I wanted to get the Reds write up down while everything was fresh in my mind. It was a very up and down series for them with some excellent tools on display paired with some really tough approaches. There was a clear theme throughout the roster on player profiles: players with big tools who are in need of some refinement. Some of these guys are going to flame out in the minors, but anyone who clicks has potential to be a Dude. Without further ado…
Christian Roa - RHP
Roa was up and down when I saw him this past week. He showed good feel to spin a pair of breaking balls and flashed some good stuff, but the overall execution was lacking. Control escaped him for most of the night and his command felt relatively nonexistent, which was surprising considering how easy and low-effort the delivery was. He’s athletic and moves well on the mound but struggled to repeat which led to inconsistent pitch quality and control. The arm seemed to slow down a tick on the breaking balls and on the second time through the lineup, hitters were on him.
The arsenal itself is deep and gives him a bevy of options with which to attack hitters. Roa’s fastball sat 92-93 and touched 94 once or twice with fairly average shape and fringe command. The high slot helps him get above-average ride for the velo, but the run was firmly below-average on the night with only a few flashing average or better which led to it getting squared up a bit when left in the zone. His bread and butter was the slider and curveball which he threw nearly 60% of the time. Once again, he struggled to command them, often leaving them up in the zone and missing glove-side. The slider is a gyro with solid depth, occasionally getting slurvy with some good sweep, and was used mostly against righties. His curve was used more often against lefties, showing a mostly 12-6 shape with okay depth and decent bite. The changeup made just 2 appearances and while I saw the cutter in warmups, it didn’t seem to make it into the game. Lots of options, but nothing looked as good as we’ve seen it in the past in this outing.
Bryce Bonnin - RHP
Bonnin was impressive. The stuff has taken a prominent step forward since we last saw him with the fastball now sitting 96-97 and touching 98 with pretty consistent run. He worked almost exclusively with the fastball as he turned over the Mighty Mussels lineup the first time, mixing in a few sliders here and there. The fastball was dominant and there was more than one instance where Bonnin sent a hitter back to the bench after 3 straight at 97. The slider looked more effective, as well, sitting mostly 85-87 with a couple of slower versions mixed in at 82-84 with more depth. It’s a gyro slider with solid depth and some sweep that flashes good bite. The changeup was his clear 3rd offering; it sat 84-89 with solid depth and some fade. It was used sparingly only against lefties the second time through the order.
The control profile still appears to be control strongly in front of command; while he threw a lot of strikes, at times it looked like he was just trying to fill up the zone rather than hit particular spots. That said, he did a good job of keeping the secondaries down in and below the zone most of the night. Between the command and the mechanics, it’s still very possible that Bonnin finds himself in a reliever role long-term. That said, after holding 97 through 5 innings on Saturday night, I’m quite confident the stuff would tick up even more in shorter stints, making him a good bet to be an impact reliever should he need to go that route.
Austin Hendrick - OF
Hendrick is by far the most famous name on this Tortugas team and he lit up the Fort Myers night with some fireworks while he was in town. Hendrick left the yard - and even the stadium once - multiple times while I was in attendance this past week. The bat speed is very, very legit and when he squares it up, the ball really jumps off his bat. The issue for Hendrick is that he just doesn’t square it up that often. There’s a lot of swing and miss to his game still and while he’s still a bit young for the league (turned 20 a month ago), I had hoped to see that part of his game take a step forward. He did have an excellent week results-wise, going 8 for 21 with 2 HRs, 2 2Bs, and 2 BBs, but K’d 9 times over that span. It’s essentially an all-or-nothing approach where he looks to do damage on every swing.
Hendrick patrolled right field in each of his starts and looked solid enough in the few defensive looks I got. His reads and routes off the bat were fine and he did a good job tracking down a hard-hit fly ball in the RCF gap. The arm wasn’t tested while I was at the park. He’s an average runner underway at present, but the body is very physical already (one of the strongest lower halves I’ve seen all year) and any additional weight would sap his speed.
Elly De La Cruz - 3B/SS
Hat tip to Eddy Almaguer for bringing De La Cruz to my attention prior to the start of the series. De La Cruz was so impressive and stands out so much physically, that he immediately draws your attention when he’s on the field. De La Cruz is taller than his listed 6’2”, 160 and likely checks in closer to 6’5”, 170lbs. His long, lanky frame is similar to Oneil Cruz but what really stands out is how coordinated De La Cruz is for his age and the size of his frame -- there is a ton of projection left here. He looked like a natural defender at both third base and shortstop; his movements were fluid and smooth with soft hands and a strong, accurate arm that played from multiple angles and while on the move. I have zero doubts he could play shortstop every day right now. He had great feel on the dirt all week knowing exactly how much time he had to get each runner, gunning them all down comfortably without rushing. The sole time he aired it out, the arm strength looked at least above-average, though the ball did get away.
As previously mentioned, De La Cruz’s coordination and athleticism are very impressive. He’s a plus or better runner underway at present with long strides that cover a lot of ground that he turns over well. In his first at-bat of the series, he smoked a ball down the RF line (oppo) and legged out a triple before scoring on a throwing error. I clocked multiple above-average to plus run times throughout the week, peaking at a 4.11 from the right side (he switch hits).
At the plate, it’s about what you would expect from a gangly 19-year old. The approach is very aggressive right now, swinging at just about anything he thinks he can get the bat on and there’s some swing and miss to his game, as well. It’s likely going to be a power over hit profile as the bat-to-ball skills look fringey. When he makes contact though, the ball really pops off the bat. He posted multiple 100+ exit velos across the week and had 4 extra base hits including a home run. He doesn’t need to square the ball up to do damage. Given his current ability to generate hard contact and the amount of projection remaining in his frame, I would imagine the raw power ending up at least plus at maturity, but the approach will need a lot of refinement before he can get to it against more advanced arms.
All in all, Elly De La Cruz was the most impressive player on either team this week in Fort Myers.
Ivan Johnson - SS
Johnson had a ROUGH week at the plate with a boatload of swing and miss that was buoyed by a few hits and a big home run to the pull-side alley. The body is that of a strong but athletic middle infielder. He’s proportional with some physicality at present with broad shoulders; little projection remaining. Johnson looked like a natural defender at short showing good instincts, a quick first step, and smooth, natural actions. Made it look easy and showed an ability to make highlight-reel plays, leaping to reel in a 100 MPH, high-spin liner that changed directions mid-flight.
Like most hitters on this roster, Johnson’s profile at the plate is essentially hit or miss -- he either makes hard contact or swings through it. He’s a switch hitter who looks quite similar from both sides, but the bat to ball looked better from the left than the right. The swing path is steep with some effort, looking to punish the ball whenever it’s close to the zone. He expanded on spin and offspeed early and often, not showing much discernment. When he did make contact though, he did damage to the pull-side, shooting a double deep into the outfield and launching a home run onto the concourse in the pull-side alley.
Allan Cerda - OF
Cerda is what they look like. He has the ideal body and frame; super athletic, large frame at 6’3”, high waist, long limbs, wide shoulders. It’s the body you can dream on. He had an up and down week at the plate: there was a ton of swing and miss at the plate with very little ability to recognize spin, whiffing on the vast majority of breaking balls he saw. He also racked up 7 hits including a majestic home run to the pull-side and a double. Again, a bit of an all-or-nothing approach where he swings through a ton of pitches but does damage when he connects. It’s an approach and bat-to-ball profile that appears destined to struggle as he climbs the ladder.
I didn’t get a ton of looks at him in center, but he looked pretty comfortable on the plays I did see. He looked comfortable reading and tracking flies, though he did appear to have an issue reading a low-liner and was indecisive in how to attack it. The arm shows solid strength and carries online when he takes his time to throw. There was one that he rushed that ended up well off-target to the glove-side with significant run.
Wendell Marrero - OF
Like many hitters on the Tortugas’ roster, Marrero had a very tough week against the Mussels’ advanced arms. He’s a thicker guy, looking heavier than the listed 195 lbs and maybe a bit closer to 220. It’s a left field profile at best, but even that looked fringey this week as Marrero made a couple of bad reads on balls that got over his head and turned into extra bases. The below-average defensive profile puts a lot of pressure on the bat, which didn’t look up to par in my look. On a team that swung and missed a lot this week, Marrero stood out the most in this regard. He was pressing hard and looked as if he was trying to hit every pitch all the way back to Daytona. Naturally, the only time he succeeded in leaving the yard was one of two nights I wasn’t at the park and he did it twice. Go figure. While he did show a willingness to take a walk by the end of the series, he struck out four times as often. The glimmer of upside here is that once a game he switched up the approach and would shoot a flare to the opposite field for a base hit. The ability is there, but it’s hidden under a red-lining, aggressive approach.
Danny Lantigua - OF
I only got a brief look at Lantigua as he played just twice over the week and once while I was in attendance. The frame is impressive, looking strong, mature, and athletic. The defense stood out for him, looking like a very capable defender in right field with good reads and jumps and the ability to stay with hard-hit balls to the wall. He showed off an above-average arm with good carry but sailed the ball at least 5 feet over the catcher’s head.
At the plate, it’s essentially the same story as the others on the roster. Aggressive approach, high-effort cuts, lots of swing and miss, not much spin recognition, okay feel for the zone, and fringey bat to ball. That said, I only got 4 plate appearances of Lantigua vs 20+ for most everyone else. He did manage to work a walk the night I saw him, but went down swinging in every other at-bat.